Patentable/Patents/US-8874171
US-8874171

Supporting multiple subscriber identities in a portable device using a single transceiver

PublishedOctober 28, 2014
Assigneenot available in USPTO data we have
Inventorsnot available in USPTO data we have
Technical Abstract

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a method and technique for enabling wireless communications for multiple numbers or subscriber identities using a single transceiver is disclosed. The method includes, for a terminal device including a transceiver for wireless communications, determining whether the terminal device supports a plurality of subscriber identities. The method also includes, responsive to determining that the terminal device supports a plurality of subscriber identities, creating a plurality of recurrent time slots for a communication channel of the terminal device, allocating for each subscriber identity a respective time slot, and enabling wireless communications for the plurality of subscriber identities using the respective time slots via the transceiver.

Patent Claims
14 claims

Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.

1

1. A method comprising: determining a quantity of subscriber identities supported by a terminal device, the terminal device including a transceiver for wireless communications; responsive to determining that the terminal device supports a plurality of subscriber identities, dividing internal receiver and transmitter communication channels of the terminal device into a corresponding quantity of recurrent time slots; allocating for each subscriber identity a respective time slot; and enabling wireless communications for the plurality of subscriber identities using the respective time slots via the transceiver.

2

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: identifying a frequency band corresponding to each subscriber identity; and instructing the transceiver to listen to the frequency band corresponding to each subscriber identity during the time slot allocated to the respective subscriber identity.

3

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: identifying a frequency band corresponding to each subscriber identity; and instructing the transceiver to transmit a signal strength to a base station server for each subscriber identity during the time slot allocated to the respective subscriber identity.

4

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: receiving a system identification code (SID) for each subscriber identity; comparing the received SID with a SID programmed for the respective subscriber identities; and responsive to determining that the received SID matches the programmed SID, transmitting a registration request to a base station server for the subscriber identities during the time slot allocated to the respective subscriber identity.

5

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising, responsive to determining that communications corresponding to at least one subscriber identity are idle for a predefined time period, transmitting a keep-alive signal to a base station server for the at least one subscriber identity during the time slot allocated to the at least one subscriber identity.

6

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising, responsive to receiving a communication on a data channel from a base station server corresponding to one of the subscriber identities, responding with a busy signal for another communication on a data channel for another subscriber identity of the terminal device.

7

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: responsive to receiving a communication on a data channel from a base station server corresponding to one of the subscriber identities, determining a current time slot of the terminal device; and responsive to determining that the current time slot differs from the time slot allotted to the one subscriber identity, reallocating the one subscriber identity to the current time slot.

8

8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising reallocating the remaining subscriber identities among the remaining time slots of the terminal device.

9

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: responsive to initiating a communication on a data channel from the terminal device corresponding to one of the subscriber identities, determining a current time slot of the terminal device; and responsive to determining that the current time slot differs from the time slot allotted to the one subscriber identity, reallocating the one subscriber identity to the current time slot.

10

10. A method comprising: retrieving information for each of a plurality of subscriber identities defined in a terminal device, the terminal device including a transceiver for wireless communications; dividing internal receiver and transmitter communication channels of the terminal device into a quantity of recurrent time slots corresponding to the plurality of subscriber identities; allocating for each subscriber identity a respective time slot; and enabling wireless communications for the plurality of subscriber identities using the respective time slots via the transceiver.

11

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein creating the plurality of recurrent time slots comprises creating a quantity of recurrent time slots corresponding to a quantity of subscriber identities defined in the terminal device.

12

12. The method of claim 10 , further comprising: identifying a frequency band corresponding to each subscriber identity; and instructing the transceiver to listen to the frequency band corresponding to each subscriber identity during the time slot allocated to the respective subscriber identity.

13

13. The method of claim 12 , further comprising: identifying a frequency band corresponding to each subscriber identity; and instructing the transceiver to transmit a signal strength to a base station server for each subscriber identity during the time slot allocated to the respective subscriber identity.

14

14. A method comprising: determining whether a terminal device supports a plurality of subscriber identities, the terminal device including a transceiver for wireless communications; responsive to determining that the terminal device supports a plurality of subscriber identities, creating a plurality of recurrent time slots for a communication channel of the terminal device; allocating for each subscriber identity a respective time slot; enabling wireless communications for the plurality of subscriber identities using the respective time slots via the transceiver; receiving a system identification code (SID) for each subscriber identity; comparing the received SID with a SID programmed for the respective subscriber identities; and responsive to determining that the received SID matches the programmed SID, transmitting a registration request to a base station server for the subscriber identities during the time slot allocated to the respective subscriber identity.

Classification Codes (CPC)

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Patent Metadata

Filing Date

March 29, 2012

Publication Date

October 28, 2014

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Cite as: Patentable. “Supporting multiple subscriber identities in a portable device using a single transceiver” (US-8874171). https://patentable.app/patents/US-8874171

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